Sinusitis Treatment Online & Online Prescription

Key facts

Treated online: Yes, usually. Video assessment, with a prescription when appropriate.
Most sinusitis is viral and settles without antibiotics; a bacterial infection is only suspected when symptoms last beyond about 10 days or worsen after starting to improve.
Green or yellow mucus is normal in a viral infection and does not by itself mean an antibiotic is needed.
If sinus pain comes with swelling around an eye, double or reduced vision, a stiff neck or confusion, call 112.
Most acute sinusitis clears within two to three weeks; beyond 12 weeks it is classed as chronic.

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Sinusitis is usually a nuisance rather than a danger, but the infection can, rarely, spread towards the eye or brain, and those signs need emergency care, not a video call. Swelling or redness around an eye, a bulging or painful eye, double vision or reduced vision, a severe or worsening headache, a stiff neck, confusion, or swelling of the forehead all need urgent assessment. If a blocked, painful sinus comes with any of these, call 112 or go straight to emergency care.

Can an online doctor treat sinusitis?

Yes

Sinusitis: usually treated online.

Yes. Sinusitis is diagnosed from the pattern of symptoms rather than a physical examination, so a video consultation suits it well: a licensed doctor assesses how long you have been unwell, weighs whether it is viral or bacterial, and can prescribe a steroid nasal spray or, where genuinely indicated, an antibiotic. Most sinusitis is viral and improves without antibiotics, and the doctor tells you when in-person care is needed.

The single most useful thing a consultation does is get the viral-versus-bacterial judgement right, because it decides whether you need an antibiotic at all. Reaching for antibiotics on day three of sinus pain is one of the most common ways they are used when they will not help. A doctor who assesses the timeline properly can save you an unnecessary course, or provide one promptly when the picture really has turned bacterial.

Listen: Sinusitis Treatment Online

The audio version of this topic from the Mobi Doctor podcast. Open the episode.

How an online consultation helps with sinusitis

The 10-day judgement:

the doctor places your illness on the timeline that separates ordinary viral sinusitis from a possible bacterial infection, which is the decision the whole treatment hangs on.

Prescriptions after a consultation:

where symptoms fit a bacterial infection, or a steroid nasal spray is the right treatment, the doctor can prescribe and send it to a pharmacy near you in most EU countries.

Honest advice on what actually helps:

you are told plainly which self-care measures ease symptoms and which are comfort only, so you are not pinning hopes on a remedy that does little.

A clear safety net for the rare serious cases:

you leave knowing the eye and neurological warning signs that mean sinusitis has become an emergency.

What is sinusitis?

The sinuses are air-filled spaces in the bones around the nose and eyes. Sinusitis is inflammation of their lining, most often triggered by the same viruses that cause colds, which is why it so often follows one.^[1] The inflammation blocks the small openings that normally drain the sinuses, and the trapped mucus produces the familiar symptoms: a blocked or runny nose, pain or pressure across the cheeks, forehead or around the eyes, a reduced sense of smell, and pain that is often worse when you bend forward. A fever, tiredness, toothache in the upper jaw and bad breath can come with it.

Acute sinusitis means an episode lasting up to about 12 weeks, and it usually clears within two to three weeks. Sinusitis that persists beyond 12 weeks is called chronic, and it is managed differently, often with a longer look for underlying causes such as allergy or nasal polyps. Most people who search for help have the acute kind, following a cold that never quite cleared.

Is my sinusitis viral or bacterial? The 10-day rule

This is the question that matters most, because it decides whether an antibiotic could help. The great majority of acute sinusitis is viral, and antibiotics make little or no difference to how quickly it settles.^[1]^[4] The practical guide doctors use is timing. Sinus symptoms that are present for fewer than about 10 days, and are gradually improving, are almost always viral and need supportive care, not antibiotics. A bacterial infection becomes more likely when symptoms last longer than 10 days without any improvement, or when you follow the classic double-sickening pattern: you start to get better, then get distinctly worse again, often with a higher fever, more facial pain and thicker discoloured discharge.^[1]

Even when symptoms pass the 10-day mark, many cases still settle on their own, which is why doctors often use a back-up prescription approach, giving an antibiotic to start only if things fail to improve or worsen over the next few days, rather than immediately.^[1] The colour of your mucus, on its own, does not tell you whether you need an antibiotic: green or yellow discharge is normal in a viral infection too. Assessing the whole timeline is exactly what a consultation is for.

Treating sinusitis: what helps and what is comfort only

Self-care that eases symptoms

For most sinusitis, the aim is to relieve symptoms while the inflammation settles. Salt-water (saline) nasal rinses or sprays can help clear mucus and are a reasonable, low-risk measure to try.^[2]^[5] Paracetamol or ibuprofen ease facial pain and fever. A short course of a decongestant spray can relieve blockage for a few days, but the same rule applies as for any blocked nose: do not use it beyond about a week, or it causes rebound congestion, a trap covered on our nasal congestion page. Steam inhalation is a traditional remedy that many find soothing, but the evidence that it changes the course of sinusitis is limited, so treat it as comfort rather than cure, and take care to avoid scalds.

Steroid nasal sprays

For sinus symptoms that have lasted beyond about 10 days, a steroid nasal spray can help reduce the inflammation and is often recommended before, or instead of, an antibiotic.^[1] Steroid sprays work gradually rather than instantly, so they are used regularly over days to weeks, and the doctor can prescribe one and explain the technique that makes it effective. For people whose sinusitis is driven by allergy, treating the underlying allergic rhinitis, sometimes the same steroid spray, is part of preventing repeat episodes.

Antibiotics and why they are used sparingly

Antibiotics are only prescribed for sinusitis when the assessment points to a genuine bacterial infection, typically symptoms lasting beyond 10 days without improvement, or a marked worsening after an initial recovery, sometimes with a high fever or severe, localised pain.^[1] Taken when the infection is viral, they do nothing for your symptoms while still exposing you to side effects such as diarrhoea and thrush, and every unnecessary course adds to antibiotic resistance, one of the most serious threats to medicine.^[3] This is not about withholding treatment; it is about giving the treatment that works. When your illness does fit a bacterial pattern, the doctor prescribes promptly, and which antibiotics are used and who may prescribe them varies by country.

How doctors decide if sinusitis is safe to treat online

Whether sinusitis needs self-care, a prescription or an in-person look depends on how long it has lasted and whether there are any warning signs. The table below shows how doctors sort it.

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How sinusitis is triaged, the likely first step, and when in-person care is needed, aligned with cited guidance
Sinusitis presentation	Likely first step	Suitable for online care?	When referral or in-person care is needed
Symptoms under 10 days, gradually improving	Saline, pain relief and a safety net; no antibiotic^[1]	Usually yes	If symptoms worsen or pass 10 days without improving
Symptoms over 10 days, or worse after starting to improve	Steroid nasal spray, with a back-up or immediate antibiotic if bacterial^[1]	Yes	Severe or systemic illness, or no response to treatment
Recurrent or chronic sinusitis (beyond 12 weeks)	Assess for allergy or polyps; steroid spray; consider ENT referral	Yes, for assessment	Persistent symptoms needing an ENT opinion or imaging
Severe facial pain with a high fever, very unwell	Prompt medical assessment	Sometimes, for triage	In person if seriously unwell or not improving
Eye swelling, vision change, severe headache, stiff neck or confusion	Emergency care for possible spread	No	Call 112 immediately

Availability of individual medicines and who may prescribe them vary by country; your doctor confirms what applies where you are.

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What the doctor checks in an online sinusitis consultation

The assessment is a structured history that places your illness on the timeline and screens for the rare serious complications. In a sinusitis consultation the doctor will typically check:

How long you have had symptoms: the key figure, because the 10-day mark steers the whole decision.
The course: whether you are gradually improving, static, or got better then worse again (double-sickening).
Your symptoms: facial pain or pressure and where, blockage, discharge, reduced smell, fever and upper-tooth pain.
Warning signs, deliberately: any swelling or pain around an eye, vision changes, severe headache, neck stiffness or confusion.
Your face on camera: any visible swelling or redness over the cheeks, forehead or around the eyes.
Background factors: allergies, asthma, previous episodes, nasal polyps, and recent dental work.
What you have already tried: including how long any decongestant spray has been used, to avoid rebound congestion.

When we treat sinusitis online, and when we refer you

We treat online: acute sinusitis within the first 10 days, needing symptom relief and a clear safety net; sinusitis past 10 days or with a double-sickening pattern, where a steroid nasal spray or, when bacterial, an antibiotic is appropriate; and recurrent sinusitis where treating an underlying allergy helps prevent the next episode.

We refer or redirect you: any sign that the infection is spreading towards the eye or brain (eye swelling, vision changes, severe headache, neck stiffness or confusion), which is an emergency; chronic sinusitis beyond 12 weeks or repeated episodes that need an ear, nose and throat opinion or imaging; and severe illness with a high fever in someone who is very unwell. In those cases the consultation gets you to the right care quickly. Sinusitis overlaps closely with ordinary nasal congestion and with allergic hay fever, and it is one of many cold and flu conditions our doctors assess online.

When to get in-person care

Most sinusitis never needs emergency care, but the infection can rarely spread to the eye socket or, even more rarely, towards the brain. Call 112 or go straight to emergency care if a painful, blocked sinus comes with swelling or redness around an eye, a bulging or painful eye, double vision or reduced vision, a severe or worsening headache, a stiff neck, confusion, or swelling of the forehead. These signs mean the infection may have spread beyond the sinus and need urgent hospital treatment.

How Mobi Doctor works

Book a time that suits you: open daily 7am–11pm, often the same day, with the exact price, €47, shown before you pay.
Speak to a licensed doctor about sinusitis: a private video consultation, from anywhere in Europe.
Leave with your plan the same day: everything agreed on the call, and if treatment is right for you, the prescription follows straight away, sent to a pharmacy near you in most EU countries. If we can’t help you online, you get a full refund.

Frequently asked questions about sinusitis

Can an online doctor prescribe antibiotics for sinusitis in Europe?

Yes, where the assessment points to a genuine bacterial infection, typically symptoms lasting beyond 10 days without improvement or a clear worsening after starting to recover. Most sinusitis is viral, so antibiotics are used sparingly. When one is appropriate, it can be sent to a pharmacy near you in most EU countries, and prescribing rules vary by country.

How much does an online sinusitis consultation cost?

A video consultation costs €47. The exact price is shown before payment, and there is no subscription. Appointments run 7 days a week from 7am to 11pm, often the same day, with a licensed doctor by video from anywhere in Europe.

How do I know if my sinusitis is bacterial?

Timing is the best guide. Symptoms under 10 days that are improving are almost always viral. A bacterial infection is more likely when symptoms last beyond 10 days without improving, or when you get better and then distinctly worse again, often with a higher fever and more facial pain. The colour of mucus alone does not decide it.

Do steam and saline rinses help sinusitis?

Salt-water nasal rinses or sprays can help clear mucus and are a reasonable, low-risk measure to try. Steam inhalation feels soothing to many people, but the evidence that it changes the course of sinusitis is limited, so treat it as comfort rather than a cure, and take care to avoid scalds.

Do steroid nasal sprays help sinusitis?

Yes, particularly once symptoms have lasted beyond about 10 days, when a steroid nasal spray can reduce inflammation and is often recommended before or instead of an antibiotic. Steroid sprays work gradually, so they are used regularly over days to weeks. The doctor can prescribe one and explain the technique that makes it work.

How long does sinusitis last?

Most acute sinusitis clears within two to three weeks, even without antibiotics. Symptoms lasting beyond 10 days without improvement, or a worsening after initial recovery, suggest it may need treatment. Sinusitis persisting beyond 12 weeks is called chronic and is assessed differently, often looking for allergy or nasal polyps.

When is sinusitis an emergency?

Rarely, the infection spreads towards the eye or brain. Call 112 or go to emergency care if a painful sinus comes with swelling or redness around an eye, a bulging or painful eye, double or reduced vision, a severe or worsening headache, a stiff neck, confusion, or forehead swelling. These need urgent hospital assessment.

Sources & further reading

Sinusitis (acute): antimicrobial prescribing (NG79), NICE, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, 2017.
Sinusitis, NICE CKS, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, reviewed 2024.
Antimicrobial resistance, ECDC, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, 2023.
Antibiotics for sinus infection of short duration in adults (Cochrane Review), Cochrane, Cochrane Collaboration, 2018.
Sinusitis (sinus infection), HSE, Health Service Executive (Ireland), reviewed 2026.

This page is for information only and is not a substitute for a medical consultation. Guideline links are provided for transparency; treatment decisions are made with your doctor.

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